


Mistlefoe

by Eilera



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas, Coran is a Hero, Cuddling, Dorks in Love, Humor, Lots of kissing, M/M, Matt is Cursed, Mistletoe shenanigans, Mostly Canon-compliant Except For Season 8, Mutual Pining, Random Galra Robot Caught In This Mess, Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 07:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17137688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera
Summary: Matt wasn’t about to give up. At this point the universe was mocking him and he wasn’t about to sit back and let it continue, fuck you very much.He was going to get Shiro under that mistletoe, dammit.(Alternate Title: 5 Times Matt Tried To Catch Shiro Under The Mistletoe And Failed Epically + 1 Time Shiro Caught Him)





	Mistlefoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlueberryAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueberryAngel/gifts).



> Hooray for the Shatt Holiday Exchange! I am very excited to share this with y'all and I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> This fic is a gift to the amazingly supportive [MattTheBlueberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MattTheBlueberry/works)! He requested "Shiro and Matt cuddled up with sweaters and hot chocolate". I promise it gets there eventually, this kind of ran away with me. 
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope this fic can bring you some joy this season. 
> 
> Special thanks to [DeathByStorm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByStorm/works) for beta'ing as usual.

Matt knew a thing or two about curses.

Maybe it was strange for a man of science to believe in the supernatural, but everyone laughed at him for believing in aliens too and look what the hell happened.

Take _that_ , John.

Anyway, the fact of the matter was that Matt believed in curses, yes, and because of that he knew, he _knew_ , that he was most definitely cursed. How it happened he wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe that time when he was twelve and John invited him over for a sleepover to use the Ouija board and Matt had scoffed at it all until he swore that clown doll fucking _moved_.

Yeah, he was scared of clowns. No one knew his shame except Pidge and he lived in constant, soul-crushing dread of the day she would use _that_ particular piece of blackmail against him. ~~~~

But, yes, it was all John’s fault. Matt was going to go with that.

Regardless, a curse was the only explanation for the long string of horrible, ridiculously bad luck Matt had had when it came to Shiro and mistletoe.

Okay, he was getting ahead of himself. Let’s rewind…

\------------------------------------------------------------------

_Unfortunate Incident #1_

Matt wobbled precariously on the unsteady ladder, stretching his arm towards the doorway. Just a little...further...there!

With a whoop of delight, Matt stumbled off the ladder with all the grace of a newborn calf to survey his handiwork. Maybe the mistletoe hanging from the doorway was a bit crooked, a touch too far to the left, but fuck it. It would do.

The entire point of this exercise was to make one Takashi Shirogane, soon-to-be pilot of the Kerberos mission, Matthew Holt’s best friend and secret crush, laugh.

Matt hadn’t seen Shiro laugh in a long while. Ever since Adam broke it off, promising he wouldn’t be there when Shiro and the other’s returned, Shiro had been lost. He wasn’t as neat and tidy as he usually was. Dark bags started appearing underneath his red-rimmed eyes. He put up a strong facade for others, but Matt knew the truth.

Shiro was heartbroken.

Well, Matt wasn’t about to leave his best friend when he was feeling so down. He was going to cheer him up. The mistletoe would do what it did best, Matt would give him a simple kiss on the cheek and tell him he cared about him as a _friend_ and that he would always be there to listen to Shiro if he needed to talk. Matt knew that heart-to-heart talks were _not_ his strong point, but if he could make it a joke then maybe he could tell Shiro what he wanted to say and what he knew the other man needed to hear.

Matt flopped down onto Shiro’s office chair backwards, spinning on the spot as he waited for his friend to appear. Shiro was supposed to have a meeting with Iverson soon. Even in his current state, he would never miss it.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Matt to hear footsteps echoing down the hallway. Grinning like a dork, Matt rolled his chair towards the door to situate himself below the innocently hanging mistletoe.

This was going to be great.

Shiro stepped through the door and Matt launched himself from his chair, wrapping his arms around that toned chest and-

Wait.

Matt frowned, staring at Shiro over the shoulder of the unknown person Matt had trapped in his death grip. If Shiro was over there, then who was-?

“Is there a reason you’re hugging me, Holt?”

Matt froze, fingers twitching on the back of Iverson’s uniform. “Uhhh…” he said intelligently.

Shiro blinked at him from the hallway, taking in the situation. His eyes landed on the mistletoe and his lips quirked up into the first smile Matt had seen in _weeks_. God, he was beautiful. Matt needed to keep the momentum going.

The things he did for this man.

Matt leaned back, giving Iverson his most shit-eating grin. “Happy holidays, Commander!” he said before gripping his superior officer’s face in both of his hands and kissing him full on the lips.

He was suspended for three days.

Shiro laughed so hard he cried.

Mission accomplished.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

_Unfortunate Incident #2_

“Matt.”

“Yes, my scrumptious sushi roll?”

“It’s July. Why are you stringing up mistletoe?”

Matt glanced over his shoulder at Shiro as he braced himself against the ceiling of their ship, trying to tie a piece of mistletoe to one of the doorways before he floated too far away. “It’s Christmas in July, Shiro, try and keep up.”

Shiro sighed from his position in the pilot’s chair, tilting his head to the side to grace Matt with a fond smile. “I can’t believe you brought mistletoe into space. Where the hell were you hiding that thing?”

Matt let himself blush demurely as he fluttered his eyelashes at his best friend. “Why, Shiro, you’re so forward.”

“What-”

“I _like_ it.”

“Matt-”

“I’ll show you if you promise to be gentle.”

“S-stop!” Shiro stuttered, covering his flushed face with his hands. “Forget I asked!”

Matt secured the final knot to the doorway, gripping the frame to push himself back down towards the floor. He reached out to Shiro, giving him an over-the-top seductive look. “Come join me, stud.”

Shiro looked at him, unimpressed. “I’m not kissing you.”

“C’mon, indulge me! It’s Christmas!”

Shiro’s lips twitched into a smile. “No, it’s not. And I remember what happened last time you got stuck under the mistletoe with someone. I’m not sure I want your Iverson germs.”

“You afraid he’s a better kisser than you?”

“What?! No-”

“‘Cause I’ll be honest, the man’s got skill-”

“ _Matt_!”

“The eyepatch really got me in the mood-” Matt cut himself off as Shiro took off his seatbelt, pushing himself out of his chair to float closer to Matt.

“Don’t ever let it be said I don’t do anything for you.”

Oh damn, Matt hadn’t been certain Shiro would go with him on this. He’d just been bored out of his mind and wanted to see Shiro smile. His heart skipped a beat, leaving his palms sweaty. He was going to kiss Shiro. He was going to kiss-

Shiro’s eyes suddenly turned mischievous.

Matt’s heart froze. No. He wouldn’t-

“Commander! You need to come see this!”

He did.

“What’s going on?” Sam Holt’s voice asked from behind Matt.

Slowly, with building horror and disgust, Matt turned to his dad. Above them both was that stupid piece of mistletoe.

Matt had brought this on himself, dammit.

Shiro smiled sweetly, pointing up at the mistletoe.

Sam craned his head up to look at it. After a moment he sighed. “Not this again.”

“Rules are rules.” Shiro shrugged, looking far too innocent, damn him.

What did Matt do to deserve this cruelty!? He couldn’t _not_ kiss his own father, he didn’t want to be cursed! He narrowed his eyes at Shiro. “I’ll get you back for this, Shirogane.”

“Better get to it,” Shiro grinned.

“Come on, Matty! Lighten up!” Sam laughed, throwing his arm around Matt’s shoulders and leaning towards him. “Give your daddy a kiss!”

Matt gagged. “Ugh, dad, don’t say it like that!”

Matt struggled to escape his father’s grip, but the man was persistent (a Holt family trait). His lips puckered up as they inched towards Matt’s face, heedless of the desperate hands trying to push him away.

“Shiro, help!”

Shiro looked far too amused to be of any assistance in this situation. Dammit.

Matt squeezed his eyes shut as his dad’s cold, wet lips landed square on his cheek.

“Mwa!” Sam leaned back, looking way too pleased with himself and leaving Matt a cold, empty shell.

Shiro gripped onto the back of the pilot’s chair, wiping away tears of laughter as Sam chuckled with him.

“I hate you both.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------

_Unfortunate Incident #3_

If people thought that getting captured by a hostile alien race and forced into slavery before being saved by rebels and joining them to fight said hostile alien race was going to stop Matt from Operation Smooch Shiro Under the Mistletoe (Operation Mistle-ro for short), they were clearly fools. Matt was no quitter.

He would get Shiro under that mistletoe with him if it was the last thing he did.

Smirking to himself, Matt nodded at his masterpiece. If there was one thing the rebels had taught him, it was traps. Booby (heh heh) traps were now his specialty. And nothing said ‘Christmas’ like forced interaction with other people, whether they wanted it or not.

Now, all that was left was to get Shiro to walk through-

Matt stumbled and nearly had a heart attack as a loud siren blared through the castle, echoing off its walls like thunder.

“Paladins, we have intruders!” Coran called out through the comms, voice tight.

Matt was already moving, grabbing a nearby gun and his staff before bolting for the door. The doors opened with a hiss and a Galra robot sentry stood ready to fire. Matt launched himself at it, realizing too late that he had just made a grave mistake.

Iron bands wrapped themselves around his torso along with the Galra robot, forcing them together in an awkward embrace. Above them, mistletoe and confetti descended from the ceiling as cheerful Christmas music chimed from some hidden speaker.

Matt groaned, letting his head fall back.

Caught in his own trap. With a Galra sentry. How the hell was this his life?

“RELEASE ME.” The Galra robot intoned, voice monotone.

“I would if I could, buddy, give me a minute!” Matt squirmed, feet kicking at open air as he struggled to wiggle out of it. He should have known better. He made this trap himself. There was no escape.

“ _Fuck_!”

“I DO NOT KNOW THIS WORD.”

“I wasn’t talking to you!”

“FINE.”

How a robot could sound petulant, Matt wasn’t certain.

Perhaps he should just get this over with before everyone found him. Pidge and Lance would never let him forget it if they stumbled across thi-

Footsteps echoed down the hall and Matt turned to see Lance staring at him, gun at the ready. The paladin paused, taking in the scene.

Matt stared at Lance.

Lance stared at Matt.

The Galra robot beeped in confusion.

A shit-eating grin spread across Lance’s face like a dark omen, sending a wave of dread right down to Matt’s toes. Silently, Lance reached for something and pulled out his phone. He lifted it up slowly as a quiet ‘click’ and a flash of light indicated the fucker just took his picture.

“Lance-”

Another voice joined the party. “Matt, what are you doing?”

Maybe he really was cursed.

Matt let his head loll to the side so he could stare at his sister’s beautiful face. “Just hangin’ with my new buddy.”

“MY NAME IS SENTRY BOT 52ABX-32QJ.”

“His name is Sentry Bot 52ABX-32QJ.”  

Pidge looked Matt up and down, one eyebrow raising sardonically as Lance snapped another picture gleefully. “Really.”

Lance turned, moving his phone into optimal selfie position while Pidge leaned in absently, lifting her hand with a peace sign. Matt glared at the camera as Lance’s grin widened. “Say cheese Sentry Bot 52ABQ-X thingy!”

“CHEESE.”

Matt rolled his eyes as the camera flashed, struggling futilely. “Shouldn’t you guys be taking care of a threat right now?”

“Shiro, Hunk and Allura got it covered, I’m sure,” Lance drawled, waving his hand at Matt dismissively. “If you think I’m gonna let you get out of kissing this bot without my being here to witness it-“

“I WANT A NICE DINNER FIRST.”

Matt gasped. “Am I not good enough for you, Sentry Bot 52ABX-32QJ? I thought we had a _connection_.”

“I DESERVE TO BE ROMANCED. I AM NOT SOME HARLOT.”

Lance howled with laughter, hanging off Pidge to keep himself upright. “This…is…pure gold!” he choked, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Paladins, the castle is secured! Good job!” Coran called out on the comms, cheerful and bright.

“Perfect,” Pidge grinned, eyes flashing.

Oh no. No.

“Pidgeon, wai-“

Pidge activated her comm. “Hey guys, we found something interesting. Meet us in the rec room.”

“Copy that.” Matt just managed to hear Shiro’s voice through Lance’s speaker.

Was this how his life ended?

If there was one thing this war had taught Matt it was to roll with what life handed to you so, as everyone crowded around him and Sentry Bot 52ABX-32QJ with increasing levels of amusement, Matt embraced it.

“Oh, Sentry Bot 52ABX-32QJ, my lust for you is such that I cannot live without feeling your tender lips just one more time!”

“I DO NOT HAVE LIPS.”

Matt faked a sob. “They’ve taken so much from you…”

“I DO NOT COMPUTE.”

“This is truly one of the most beautiful romances I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” Hunk sniffed, hands clasped in front of him.

Matt glanced over at Shiro to see the other man looking more relaxed than he’d seen him since they reunited. A broad grin stretched across his face like a beautiful sunrise. Matt’s heart skipped a beat.  

“Ours is a romance that will be sung throughout the ages,” Matt whispered, tilting forward to press his lips to the cold metal of Sentry Bot 52ABX-32QJ’s faceplate.

It wasn’t the worst kiss he’d ever had and that was kind of ridiculous.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

_Unfortunate Incident #4_

Matt surveyed the hangar. He’d originally planned to try this around the rec room, but with so many people coming and going it would be hard to get Shiro at just the right time. No matter what, Matt was _not_ going to let himself get stuck under the mistletoe with someone other than Shiro. Not again. His sanity couldn’t handle it.

Yes, the paladins often all came into this room, but Matt knew for a fact that Shiro _always_ came here in the morning as part of his workout routine and to check on the lions. Shiro had always been the type of guy that was easy to predict. Even more so after their shared captivity. He had a schedule and he often stuck to it religiously. Matt was totally safe here.

Scanning the upper beams and doorways, Matt settled for the side entrance that he was certain Shiro usually used. Dragging over the nearby step stool, Matt clambered up the steps.

Of course, he should have known better.

Just as he was reaching for the door frame, someone stepped through it, knocking Matt down from his perch and sending the mistletoe to the floor.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, my boy, let me get that for you!”

“No, wait-“

Too late, Matt watched in epic slow motion as Coran bent down to pick up the makeshift mistletoe.

_All around me are familiar faces…_

Coran held up the mistletoe, inspecting it. “What is this?”

Four times. Four times Matt tried to catch Shiro under some goddamn mistletoe. Four times he’d gotten stuck under it with someone else.

He was cursed.

There was no denying it.

Well, at least this time he didn’t have an audience. At least this time he could get it over with and no one but Coran would know. Maybe he could just pretend it was a serious Earth issue, no getting around it. We have to kiss Coran or we’ll die.

“It’s mistletoe.”

Coran frowned at the bundle. “’Missile toe’? This doesn’t look like a toe to me.”

Now Matt kind of wanted to see launching missile toes-

No, stop. Keep on track, Holt.

“It’s not-nevermind.” Matt clambered to his feet, wiping imaginary dust from his clothes. “We need to kiss.”

Coran nearly dropped the ‘missile toe’. “Wha-“

Matt sighed. “It’s an Earth tradition that if you get stuck under this mistletoe with someone that you have to kiss them or you’ll be cursed.”

Coran blinked at him, suddenly looking serious. “Oh! So this is like a yargle root! Dangerous thing to meddle with, there’s no denying that. I can’t believe humans have something so similar! Why, I remember when I was a young lad, Alfor had stumbled across some while on a morcolan hunt and…”

Matt tuned him out, glancing at the time. If he didn’t hurry, Shiro would be walking in at any minute. He needed to settle this without anyone knowing.

“And then Blaytz seemed a little _too_ enthusiastic that time I got hit with two, that’s right, _two_ yargle roots! Well, I certainly had never been kissed like _that_ before…”

Fuck it. There was nothing for it.

“Just kiss me, Coran!” Matt yelled, just as Shiro came to a stop outside the open door looking all hot and sweaty from his morning exercise routine.

Matt wanted to die.

There was an awkward silence as Shiro stared at Matt’s horrified expression, clearly perplexed.

Wait, was that hurt flashing across those dark eyes?

“Shiro-“

“Prepare yourself for Coran Coran The Gorgeous Man’s Ultimate Life Saving Kiss of Hearts!” Coran declared before grabbing Matt’s face and kissing him full on the lips with enough enthusiasm to fuel an entire Galra fleet.

Matt flailed, voice muffled by a pair of surprisingly tender lips and what. The fuck. Was happening!?

Coran held the kiss way, _way_ too long before finally releasing him. Matt gasped for breath, fairly certain his red face could be seen all the way from Earth.

He felt like his soul had been sucked from his body, like some horrible Dementor kiss. He was an empty husk, devoid of life.

Coran slapped him genially on the back so forcefully Matt nearly fell over. “Now you’re safe.”

“Safe?” Matt heard Shiro ask from somewhere far away.

“From the missile toes, my boy! Nothing I couldn’t handle. All in a day’s work. I’ll just get rid of this deadly weapon and I’ll be sure to scan the castle to make sure none of them remain. If you see any, just give me a shout.”

With that, Coran picked up the mistletoe and made his way back out of the hangar.

“Missile…toes…” Shiro whispered, so quietly Matt almost didn’t hear him.

“I’m cursed, Shiro,” Matt croaked, looking up at his friend. “Save me.”

Contrary to his earlier look, Shiro was now sporting an amused smile, eyes sparkling in the light of the hangar.

“I don’t think I can save you,” he paused, struggling not to laugh. “The look on your face after he kissed you…”

“Shiro!”

“Must have been a kiss to remember.”

“I’d rather forget and scrape it from my memory for all eternity.”

Shiro finally cracked up, laughing hard enough he had to grip the edge of the doorway.

Matt gave him an exaggerated hurt look. “Cruel, Shirogane. Laughing at a man’s misfortune.”

There was no way he was going to tell him the truth:

Coran was one hell of a kisser.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

_Unfortunate Incident #5_

Matt wasn’t about to give up. At this point the universe was mocking him and he wasn’t about to sit back and let it continue, fuck you very much.

He was going to get Shiro under that mistletoe, dammit.

With that being said, Matt surveyed the mistletoe hanging in Shiro’s bedroom. Atlas was clearly on his side as she had let Matt into Shiro’s private quarters and even dimmed the lights to a romantic glow. If that wasn’t an encouragement, Matt didn’t know what was.

“We can do this, Atlas,” Matt whispered. Maybe he was imagining it, but he could have sworn the ship rumbled slightly at his words. “I’m going to tell him the truth and we’re gonna break this stupid curse. Operation Mistle-ro isn’t over.”

Even as he said it, his heart pounded with anxiety. Telling Shiro he loved him was honestly terrifying. But, if there was one thing this war had taught him, it was to live every day as if it were his last. He’d already thought he’d missed his chance twice before with Shiro. He wasn’t going to do that again.

The door to the room opened with a gentle pneumatic hiss.

“Matt, what are you doing here?”

Matt clutched at his chest. “Dammit, Shiro, stop walking like a ninja. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

Shiro smiled softly from the doorway. “I’m sorry.”

“Damn right you are,” Matt mumbled, turning to take in the Captain of the Atlas.

The other man looked so good in his pristine uniform, white hair practically glowing in the muted light of his room. There was a layer of emotion in his eyes Matt only ever saw when Shiro looked at him and it caused his heart to flutter in his chest.

“I have a surprise for you,” Matt heard himself saying, somehow running on autopilot even as his pulse raced.

Shiro stepped closer. Was he near enough to be considered under the mistletoe? Matt swallowed nervously as he inched just a touch closer to the man he fully intended to make out with in the next few minutes.

Assuming Shiro returned his feelings.

Matt reached out, snatching Shiro’s left wrist and tugging him closer. He jerked his head towards the ceiling and Shiro looked up to take in the mistletoe hanging above them. After a moment, Shiro looked back down, a fond smile on his face.

“Really?”

“It’s tradition, Shiro, c’mon.”

Shiro’s smile widened and Matt’s heart clenched painfully. The other man was so close, he could see every detail of his nose scar and all the stress lines on his skin. They’d both been through hell and back, but they were still just Shiro and Matt, two dorks in love with space. Matt leaned closer, fingers twitching around Shiro’s wrist.

“I need to tell you something,” he said quietly, peering up into those familiar eyes.

Actually, now that he was looking this closely, he realized Shiro looked…tired. There were dark bags under his eyes and his skin seemed paler than usual, aside from his flushed cheeks. Matt’s heart pounded a fast tempo as he licked his lips nervously. He was going to tell him the truth, maybe make out with him if things went well, and then force this man into a bed so he could sleep for at _least_ two days.

Matt took a deep breath, leaning in close as his eyes fluttered closed. “I-I love you, Shiro.”

“Matt…” Shiro said, voice low and layered with something Matt couldn’t quite pinpoint.

It was coming. Shiro was going to let him down gently like the soft puppy dog he was, and Matt would be _ruined_. There weren’t enough pizza pockets in the entire universe to heal Matt’s soon-to-be broken heart.

Before Matt could even start spiralling into a panic, a heavy weight collided with him, nearly sending him onto his ass. If it wasn’t for his training, he wouldn’t have been able to stay standing. His eyes snapped open only to realize he had an armful of Shiro. Normally he would be ecstatic, but it didn’t take him long to figure out something was wrong.

The other man’s eyes were closed, his breath ragged. His skin was burning hot, way too high to be normal.

“Shiro!” Matt gasped, quickly maneuvering the larger man to his bed. Thankfully it wasn’t too far away and he laid him out, resting his hand on Shiro’s forehead and cursing at the boiling heat.

“Seriously!? You idiot!” Matt squawked even as he lunged for the communicator on the wall to hail the medical wing. He would forever be in awe of Shiro’s inability to admit when he was unwell. 

After the medical team whisked Shiro away on a gurney, refusing to let Matt follow, he stood alone in Shiro’s room worry coursing through his veins. After a moment, he grabbed a stupid apple from Shiro’s little table and threw it at the mistletoe, knocking it to the ground.

It was useless anyway.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

_+1_

Shiro’s diagnosis was exhaustion coupled with a dangerously high fever. That’s what the doctors told him after he demanded answers. They’d been forced to shove Shiro into one of the new healing pods before shooing Matt away. Shiro wasn’t due out for at least an hour or two and they didn’t want Matt around taking up space with his fretting.

As if. Matt was the picture of calm. He was cool as a cucumber. Wait until Keith found out, _then_ they’d know what panic looked like. No sir, Matt was totally fine.

“Can you please just, I don’t know, go knock your head against the wall until you pass out?” Pidge groaned after Matt paced past her for the hundredth time.

“And force you all to go on without my stellar company? You’re cruel, Pidgeon.”

Pidge rolled her eyes as she turned back to their little group of trainees. “Matt’s marital problems aside, this is where you install the flux capacitor. Make sure you connect it to the _green_ wire, unless you want to burn off your eyebrows.”

Matt tapped a rhythm onto the table. He was supposed to be helping her teach these Garrison folks about some of the Galra tech, but he felt like he had enough restless energy in him to power Atlas itself. He couldn’t stand still. Shiro was due out soon. Would he remember what Matt had said? If he didn’t say anything was it because he forgot or because he didn’t want to have to turn Matt down?

He couldn’t decide which would be worse.

“Matt, will tell you about the ammo.”

Matt snapped himself out of it, blinking at the Galra weapon in front of him. “Uh, right, it uses plasma lasers to shoot. No clips and they are easily rechargeable.”

He pointed to a large red tube within the handle.

“This is where the plasma sits, stored here for charging. After that…” Matt paused as the doors to the training room slid open.

The trainees snapped to attention as Shiro stepped into the room. He already looked a lot better than he did when Matt had last seen him and he tried not to show how obviously he was scrutinizing the other man. He got teased enough as it was.

“At ease,” Shiro said immediately, eyes scanned the room. They paused briefly on Matt before turning on Pidge. “Do you mind if I steal your brother away?”

Pidge waived her hand at him dismissively. “He’s useless anyway.”

“Excuse me, I’m perfection,” Matt grumbled, nervously looking away from Shiro. Suddenly he was very much afraid to be alone with the man. If Shiro didn’t talk to him then he couldn’t reject him and everything would be just fine. “Actually, I have another meeting to get t-”

Matt cut off as Shiro stomped towards him, grabbed him by the waist, and tossed him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing, hot damn.

“Shiro!”

“Please excuse me,” Shiro murmured politely, smiling at the gawking trainees before turning on his heel and marching back to the door.

“Pidge! Help me!”

“Have fun,” Pidge grinned, waving to them just as the door closed and blocked her from Matt’s view.

Matt huffed, crossing his arms and letting his chin rest in his hand as Shiro literally carried him down the hall. Every time someone passed by them, Shiro would nod at them politely and carry on as if there as nothing strange about carrying a rebel fighter over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. From here, Matt had a very nice view of ‘dat ass’ and, really, it was totally not fair of Shiro to subject him to his muscles in all their glory right before turning him down. It was cruel.

“Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped me?”

Shiro’s chuckle rumbled through Matt’s chest, sending warmth right through him. Ugh, he was so weak for this man. “You’ll see soon enough.”

“That sounds so ominous, cupcake, especially coming from a dude who passed out a few hours ago.”

Shiro’s fingers tightened around Matt’s thighs. “Ah, yeah, sorry about that.”

Matt poked him in the shoulder. “Seriously, should you be doing heavy lifting in your current state?”

“I’m fine, the healing pod took care of it.”

“You need to sleep, you dumbass.”

“I will, but I have something important to do first.”

Matt had to physically bite his tongue to prevent it from traitorously telling Shiro just who he could _do_ first.

Shiro stepped into a room and before Matt could take it in, he was gently settled onto a plush couch. “Shiro, what-“

Darkness overtook his vision as Shiro shoved something soft and warm over his head. Sputtering, Matt flailed and tried to escape from its cozy confines. What the hell was he doing!? It took some effort and a lot of curse words before his head popped through a hole and he realized Shiro had shoved a sweater onto him.

Struggling to get his arms through the sleeves, Matt peered down at the sweater. It was ugly and garish and was covered in cheap tinsel. The words ‘Jingle My Bells’ were lit up brightly with little Christmas lights.

“Wow, your sweater game is on point, cuddle bear.” He glanced up. “What is going…on…” Matt trailed off as he gaped at his best friend.

Shiro had ripped off his uniform jacket, revealing a matching ugly Christmas sweater, the words ‘Single and Ready to Jingle’ were written out with blinding red candy canes. On his head was a dorky little headband with a shitty wire hanging out of it, dangling a plastic mistletoe over his head. He was holding some steaming mugs of hot chocolate, steam twisting and twirling out of them in a mesmerizing display. He had a huge, goofy grin on his face, and Matt’s heart proceeded to shift into overdrive.

“You look ridiculous,” Matt said, even as he felt a matching smile spread across his own face. He stood up so he could let his eyes roam over Shiro’s body. Even in that horrible getup, he still looked like a sultry demon, ready to tempt Matt into a lifetime of sin.

“Best way to tempt a Holt.”

Matt stepped closer, gently taking the mugs from Shiro’s hands and setting them on the nearby table. He grinned, flicking the little mistletoe on Shiro’s head so it bounced around wildly. “It’s certainly working on me. Be careful with this mistletoe. Better kiss me quick before you get cursed too.”

Shiro’s grin turned fond as his hand cupped Matt’s jaw, sending sparks of electric fire pulsing through his veins. His hand slipped through Matt’s hair, curling around the back of his neck to tug him forward. Matt went willingly, gripping Shiro’s mechanical arm as his eyes slid shut.

Shiro’s lips were soft and warm, tentative. Matt realized Shiro was just as nervous as he was and somehow that made it easier to deepen the kiss well past what the mistletoe warranted. Shiro matched him, pressing closer as he opened his mouth for Matt to explore.

Fuck, it was better than Matt could have possibly imagined. He lost himself in the feel of those lips, reveling in this moment they had just for them. After what felt like an eternity but was most certainly not long enough, the two of them pulled back, faces red.

“I’ve been trying to kiss you for so long now, I was pretty sure I was cursed.”

Shiro winced. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot.”

Matt moved back towards the couch, hand still grasping Shiro’s wrist. He tugged on it to pull him forwards. “You’ll just have to make up for lost time. Come cuddle with me. We can make out some more and take a nap.”

Matt had never seen Shiro look so eager to lay down and rest.

As he settled against the other man, head on his chest and legs tangled together, Matt couldn’t imagine spending the day doing anything else.

“I love you,” Shiro murmured, voice low and rumbly and everything Matt could ever want.

Fuck curses.

This was the best Christmas ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to talk to me about Voltron on [Tumblr](http://eilera-chan.tumblr.com/). :)


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